Someone Familiar
by animerival
Summary: When Bakura warns his brother Ryou away from his new classmate Malik, Ryou tries to find out why. Bakura was friends with Malik years ago, but even he doesn't know the extent of the Ishtar family's secrets. Initially tornshipping; eventually thiefshipping and gemshipping. AU.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello, everyone! This is a story I've been thinking about and writing on for awhile. As you can see from the summary, the main pairings are eventually MalikxBakura and RyouxThief King Bakura, but you'll have to be patient for them to appear. There are secrets that must come out, fights that must be had, and jealousy to overcome before any sort of romance can be kindled for these troublesome characters.

If there is a good response to this story, I'll make it a priority. Otherwise, it will be another of my pet projects I'll work on when I can. So if you'd like to see more of it sooner, please let me know in a review.

Feedback and constructive criticism are adored.

**Someone Familiar**

_**Chapter One**_

The school was the best their shabby neighborhood had to offer. Bakura didn't mind the lackluster teaching or the kids who were more interested in sleeping through class than getting good grades, but he knew Ryou did. Driven by innate curiosity, Ryou studied hard, even though others teased him for being a nerd. He was rarely in a good mood after a school day, all things considered, so Bakura was surprised to see him beaming as they met outside to walk home.

Bakura didn't have to ask why his younger brother was so excited, since he immediately volunteered the information. "Our class got a transfer student today. I think you'd like him! He's very tough and witty."

Rolling his eyes at the notion that he'd want to make friends, Bakura asked, "Then why are _you _so excited?"

"Because he's really smart, too. He already knew everything the teacher was saying. I thought I would be the only one in the classroom the whole year who did."

"So what's this guy's name?"

"Malik Ishtar!" Ryou replied.

Bakura froze, and Ryou walked a few paces ahead of him on the sidewalk before noticing. When he turned back to see what was wrong, Bakura's expression was dark and brooding. "Bakura? What's wrong?"

Bakura looked to see if they were far enough from school not to be overheard. Satisfied they were, he hissed to Ryou, "Stay away from Malik."

"Wh-why? Do you know him?"

Bakura marched past him, forcing Ryou back into motion as well. "Yes. So just listen to me and have nothing to do with him. Got it?"

"...Okay."

Ryou watched as his brother became absorbed in his own thoughts. Bakura didn't like people in general, but this reaction was much too vehement for Ryou to ignore. He would, however, ignore Bakura's warning to stay away from Malik. Very few people at their school shared any interests with Ryou, and now someone finally did. He didn't want to keep secrets from Bakura- well, to be blunt, it was more that keeping secrets from Bakura was ridiculously difficult. But he didn't think the teenager who'd said sure, he'd play him in Duel Monsters sometime, could be that dangerous.

When they got to their house, a tiny, cheap flat that Bakura said had too many neighbors. Bakura unlocked the door and dropped his backpack by his shoes in the front room. Ryou did the same before going to his room. He was quite fond of it, though it had seemed claustrophobic when they first moved in. There were posters of horror movies on the walls and half-painted figurines and other crafts on his scratched-up dresser. His bed fit snugly between stacked-up board games and a pile of books, both fiction and non- and some that Ryou would have categorized as nonfiction but weren't, thanks to the occult skeptics that had classified them.

He wondered if he should challenge Bakura to a game to get him out of the bad mood brought about by the transfer student's name. Bakura liked games as much as he did, after all. Deciding he'd tell Bakura he could be Dungeon Master, he grabbed a cardboard box from the closet and went into the kitchen, where Bakura had the television on but was staring out the window instead.

"Want to play a game?" Ryou asked.

Bakura turned his head and looked at the box that was filled with their favorite role-playing pieces, most of them handmade. "Sure."

The game was quickly assembled. They'd played on this board dozens of times, with rules modified to work well with only two people. They never really played with anyone else- no one they became close enough to would take it as seriously as them and eventually someone would get upset and the game would end. A new story began for this round, and at one point Ryou's character was standing on a riverbank, trying to decide if it was safe enough to fish or if the locals were telling the truth about the mermaid-like monster that was preying on young men. The game had been going on long enough for Ryou to feel comfortable bringing Malik up.

"So, Bakura. I just have a question..."

"I'm not Bakura. I'm the Master of this game," Bakura replied, grinning and showing his sharp teeth.

"Right, but I think Bakura knows more about Malik."

Bakura's smile faltered and he growled. "Why are you so fixated on him, Ryou? He's just another student. Forget about him." He leaned forward, brown eyes burning. "Did you want to play this game just to butter me up and make me say, 'oh, maybe Malik isn't that bad, go ahead, you should be friends with him and we'll all drink fucking tea together'? Not a chance." He slapped a new piece onto the board. "It turns out the rumors were right. As the traveler dawdles by the river, a monster approaches him and attacks."

Ryou sighed, turning his attention back to the game and getting out of the mess he'd just gotten his character into.

* * *

"Welcome home, Malik!" his older sister, Ishizu, greeted him at the door. He smiled briefly in response.

"How is your new school?" she pressed, following him into the living room, where their other sibling, Rishid, sat reading.

"It's fine."

Rishid looked up and raised an eyebrow. If anyone could see through Malik's lies, it was him.

"Or not. It's a dump, Ishizu. I know more than the teachers. But I normally do, and at least... The people are interesting."

Ishizu sighed, "I wish we could afford someplace better, I really do."

"Don't worry about it, sis." He waved a hand to mimic dispelling her fears.

She reluctantly nodded and left the two alone, returning to her study to finish some paperwork.

Malik sat next to Rishid, who put his book down and waited for him to speak. "Hey, Rishid, do you remember Bakura?"

Rishid nodded. "Yes. He had white hair. You two met when you teamed up and beat up some kids at the park for making fun of both of your looks." His tone was mildly disproving.

"He's a student at my school."

"That's quite a coincidence. Did you talk to him?"

"No, but I met someone named Ryou in my class who looks just like him. I got close enough to see his last name on a paper, and it's the same as Bakura's. Bakura's a year older, so he should be a third-year."

"I see." Rishid wasn't sure what to say. He knew Bakura had left on bad terms, and this was the first time Malik had brought up his childhood friend in years. "Why didn't you just ask Ryou about Bakura, then?"

"Why did I never know Bakura had a brother?" Malik shrugged. "I promised him I'd play a card game with him sometime, though. I'm sure I'll see Bakura soon enough."

"If it makes you happy, I hope you two can become friends again."

Malik settled back onto the couch and closed his eyes, mouth upturned slightly.

"That will never happen."

* * *

When Bakura and Ryou reached school the next day, Bakura followed Ryou to his homeroom rather than immediately go to his. He waited outside the door after saying goodbye to Ryou and pretending like he was going to leave. Less than five minutes later, Malik showed up.

Malik stopped, disrupting the flow of students to their various destinations, when he spotted Bakura. Neither spoke, merely stared each other down, and some of the students passing by stopped in hopes of seeing a fight. Bakura didn't appreciate the company, so he pushed off the wall and walked by Malik, saying low enough for only him to hear, "Meet me outside the back entrance during the first break."

To his surprise, Malik turned away from his homeroom and began following Bakura. "No," he replied.

Bakura glanced at him sharply. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"Oh, did you think I'd lost my backbone since we last spoke? I can refuse your requests, Bakura."

Bakura scowled. If there'd been any doubt this was the same Malik Ishtar he'd known, it wouldn't have survived that statement. Malik was as arrogant as ever.

"You can just say whatever it is now. I imagine it's not some speech about the wonders of fate, leading two old friends back together again?"

"You're damn right it's not. All I have to say to you is this: stay the hell away from my brother."

"You mean Ryou? That sounds difficult, considering we're in the same class... Why don't you lighten up, Bakura? I'm not going to hurt anyone." There was a dark undertone to his words that was impossible for Bakura to miss.

"Listen, Malik-" he began, but Malik interrupted him.

"I'm not going to bother Ryou. Calm down. We're in the same school now, but it doesn't change anything. The last time I saw you, we fought, and now you're ready to yell at me again. I don't expect us to be friends again, Bakura. Leave me alone, and I'll return the favor."

Somehow, Malik had turned the situation around. Instead of Bakura threatening him away from Ryou, he was using avoiding Ryou to get Bakura to stop bothering him. It was so typically Malik to get the upperhand, and to _know_ he had the upperhand, that Bakura was tempted to punch him and at least bruise his face, if his ego was untouchable.

But he didn't. He gave Malik a curt nod, agreeing to his offer, and stode into his classroom. Malik watched him take his seat, never looking back, before returning to his room.

Ryou waved at him, but Malik ignored him as he walked to the back of the room where his seat was. He saw Ryou sort of hunch his shoulders forward, and he guessed Ryou'd really thought they were going to be friends. Malik almost laughed. Bakura had been an exception, long ago, but Malik didn't care for friendship. People were beneath him, especially people who would shrivel up at the first sign of rejection.

After homeroom, they had a five-minute break before classes began. Malik stayed at his desk, listening to the inane conversations about him with disgust. Suddenly, someone coughed lightly in front of him. Malik looked up at Ryou, who was smiling nervously at him. "Hi, Malik. Can I sit here for a minute?" He motioned to the vacant seat in front of Malik.

"The seat isn't mine. Do what you want." Malik leaned back, frowning. It would be unlucky if Bakura happened to walk by to check on Ryou and saw Malik breaking their deal already. Then again, this was as good an opportunity as any to crush all of Ryou's hopes for friendship, and then Malik wouldn't have to worry about Bakura anymore.

Ryou sat down and, after a few awkward moments of silence, pulled his Duel Monsters deck from his pocket. "I brought my deck again today. If you brought yours, maybe at lunch we can-"

"Listen, Ryou, we're not going to be friends. I stopped by your desk yesterday to see if you really were related to Bakura, and I found out you were. So I'm sure he's told you." He smirked. "I'm bad news, right? You should try making friends with someone else."

Ryou was quiet for a moment and Malik wondered vaguely if he were going to cry. But when he looked up at Malik, his eyes were determined and his voice strong. "I don't know what happened between you and my brother. But whatever it was, it doesn't mean we can't be friends."

"Actually, it does. If your brother sees me talking to you, there'll be a fight the school will talk about for years to come. So you should go back to your seat now."

Ryou mentally cursed Bakura. Maybe he was just being stubborn and he should give up on Malik, but there was something strangely alluring about him that made Ryou want to become friends with him no matter what. "I will... for now. But I'm going to talk with Bakura, and- I don't care who says you're 'bad.'" Ryou scurried back to his seat, leaving Malik surprised at how much his plan had backfired.

He was left alone for most of the day. He exuded an antisocial aura to the other kids, and his muscular physique warned away those who would taunt his exotic looks and golden jewelry. He caught Ryou looking at him from time to time, but as soon as they locked eyes, Ryou would look away. It was sort of amusing.

The last class before lunch was gym. Malik wrinkled his nose in distaste. People running around, out of breath and sweaty... It was vastly unappealing. He changed into his gym clothes in a bathroom down the hall before entering the gym, ready to get the class over with.

After the mandatory warm-ups, the students were left alone to take part in whatever activity they liked. Most of the guys began a game of basketball, with the girls walking around the track or gathering around one of the tall nets to play volleyball. Malik noticed Ryou walking the track by himself, and set a pace that would keep him from catching up with him.

Not a minute had passed when Malik heard giggling behind him, as well as his name being whispered in hushed feminine voices. He didn't give into their bait and turn around, so they sped up to walk beside him.

There were three of them, not bad-looking even in their gym clothes. "Hi," said a brunette. "I'm Aiko. This is Momoko and Isuzu." The other two chimed in with greetings of their own. "Your name is Malik, isn't it? It's nice to have a transfer student in our class."

"Thank you," replied Malik, putting on his friendly face for the first time that day. He didn't care to get to know these girls, but a few smiles and he'd have some information he'd been wondering about. "It's nice to meet you as well. Would you mind telling me something?"

"Anything," Momoko piped up.

"Do you know that kid?" He pointed to Ryou.

"Oh... Ryou? Yeah, we know him." Aiko tilted her head a bit, as though trying to follow this line of conversation. "What about him?"

"Just tell me what you know about him."

"Well, he was a student here last year too. He's got an older brother, Bakura, who looks just like him but is way scarier. And Ryou's, well, kind of weird. He likes occult stuff."

"He believes in ghosts!" Isuzu added.

"He's kind of shy too, and doesn't get along with any of the guys."

"What about girls?" Malik asked.

"He's really cute," Isuzu admitted, "but like we said, weird."

"You're just mad 'cause he turned down your confession last year," Momoko teased.

"Shut up!" Isuzu snapped, blushing. "I don't want a freak like him for a boyfriend anyway. He looks so weird, with his white hair and his pale skin. He's like a corpse or something and he probably wants to date one!"

"_Anyway_," Aiko said, trying to steer the conversation away from Ryou, "tell us about yourself! When did you move here? Have you lived in Japan long? Your Japanese is so good!"

"It should be. I've lived here since I was a child. But are you sure you want to talk to me?"

"What do you mean?"

His eyes flashed. "You don't think I look weird? I'd think tan skin and blonde hair is just as out of place as Ryou's looks."

"Hey, we didn't mean-"

"Your perception of people is shallow. Shut up." Malik walked away, leaving them gaping.

* * *

_"Shut up! He doesn't look weird!" Bakura shouted, punching the kid who'd shoved Malik down._

_"You both look weird," another kid sneered, delivering a kick to Bakura's shins. He stumbled, but a hand caught his arm. Malik had stood back up and steadied him. A look of understanding passed between the two children and they fought the bullies back until they gave up and ran off._

_"They're morons," Bakura muttered._

_"Yeah."_

_"I'm Bakura, by the way."_

_"My name's Malik."_

_"If those bullies come back-"_

_"-we should take them on together again."_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

Ryou finished his English translations quickly and pulled a book from his backpack to read as the rest of the class continued working. He was fond of mysteries and horror stories, so Bakura had given him an anthology of particularly dark tales for his recent birthday. Flipping through it to settle on a story, his makeshift bookmark slipped from the pages onto his desk. It was a picture of his entire family, when it had been in one piece. He smiled softly, remembering the day it had been taken, how Bakura complained about how hot it was, how their sister Amane wouldn't stop fidgeting.

Ryou placed the picture back into the book and cast a glance back at Malik. He was diligently scribbling answers out and didn't notice Ryou's scrutiny. Ryou began to wonder if Malik had any siblings. _Bakura _knew, but Ryou hadn't managed to get any more information out of his brother the previous night. That conversation had ended with the television remote thrown at Ryou's head, so he knew better than to bring Malik up again anytime soon. However, the uncertainties surrounding Malik just made him more intriguing to Ryou.

During gym class, he kept looking at Malik out of the corner of his eye. Malik had walked like him yesterday, but today he was playing frisbee with a group of guys and girls. Loneliness faintly washed over Ryou; it would be nice to just walk over there and join in, but he was afraid they'd tell him to go away. He didn't care for frisbee, anyway. He enjoyed watching Malik all the same. Malik was strong and fast, not letting a single throw get past him, even though the guys kept throwing it higher and harder in an effort to outshine him. Ryou was so caught up in their game he realized he'd been just standing on the track for several minutes. He ducked his head and picked up the pace.

When he was changing back into his regular clothes- a striped shirt and jeans, comfortable and inexpensive- he heard snickering behind him. He warily looked around as he slipped the shirt over his head before the word "fag" suddenly echoed around him. His eyes blinked open wide as someone shoved him back into a locker. "Wha-"

"Can't get enough of Ishtar, huh?" his antagonist asked, looking disgusted.

Someone at his side chimed in with a high-pitched voice that was apparently supposed to mimic Ryou's. "Oh, Ishtar, you're so manly! No one can catch a frisbee like you do!" Ryou flushed, realizing his earlier gawking hadn't gone unnoticed.

It wasn't the first time he'd been given trouble like this. People took one look at his feminine appearance, especially his long white hair, and thought they knew everything about him. It was funny- even though Bakura was nearly identical to him, he was never given trouble, but then, he was known to give trouble back tenfold.

And what defense did Ryou have? He _was_ gay, and he couldn't stop thinking about Malik.

Fortunately, their teacher chose that moment to come into the locker room to get some of the spare gym equipment stored there. Ryou was released and his bullies dispersed innocently. Ryou straightened his clothes and left his classmates behind, glad he could go home.

In his hurry, he bumped into Malik himself. Malik never changed with the rest of them, but went to the bathroom down the hallway. Ryou jumped back as Malik turned and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Something wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Malik didn't look like he believed him, but he shrugged. "Bye, then." He turned just as some of their classmates from gym walked by, and one of the bolder ones called out, "Oh, Ishtar-kun!" in a falsetto. Ryou turned bloodred, dropping his head and letting his hair shield his eyes.

"Assholes," Malik muttered, giving the boy a withering glare. "Seriously, Ryou, just tell your brother about them. He'll beat them to a pulp, I'm sure."

"I don't want to cause trouble. I can just ignore them." Ryou was relieved that Malik hadn't freaked out at him for what just happened. Chancing a look at his face, he saw that Malik didn't even look phased.

It made Ryou wonder if Malik had dealt with catcallers in the past. He was certainly feminine enough that, from a distance, someone might mistake him for a girl and hit on him. Ryou doubted that had ended well for the hypothetical catcallers...

He realized Malik had started walking away, apparently considering the conversation over. Ryou started to walk back towards him when his arm was grabbed and he was dragged the opposite way. He recognized the bony grasp instantly and sighed; Bakura had found him.

"What part of stay away from Malik is so hard for you to understand?" Bakura hissed as he dragged him through the exit doors at the opposite end of the hallway.

"The part where you actually explain why I should," Ryou snapped, wincing as Bakura's grip tightened.

"Dammit, Ryou, just listen to me! He's dangerous."

"How?"

"Can't you just trust me?"

Ryou faltered at that. He did trust Bakura, but that didn't mean his older brother was always right.

"Why is it so important to you to befriend him, anyway?" Bakura demanded.

Ryou sighed. "Because he stands out... And we do too. I can never make friends with normal people, so maybe I have a chance with him."

"You're better off without him as a friend."

The rest of their walk home was silent.

* * *

Bakura leaned against his bedroom wall, arms folded, as he seethed. Why was his luck so rotten? First, Malik Ishtar had moved back into his vicinity. Second, his younger brother had developed an infatuation with him. Third, despite his deal with Malik, he still saw them speak from time to time, though he knew Ryou was mainly to blame for that.

He'd called Malik dangerous, but it had meant nothing to Ryou, who reads book after book of people being possessed, murdering others, driving innocent people insane until who knew who desensitized he was to the word. It probably didn't help that he hadn't seen Malik do anything remotely dangerous since enrolling at their school. But Bakura knew better. He'd _seen _what Malik was capable of. Not that Malik scared him in the slightest, but Ryou was acting like a fly prepared to waltz into the mouth of a venus flytrap.

Ryou was his family, all he had left. Their mother and younger sister had died long ago, and their father was all but dead to them, for as often as he communicated with his sons in any form other than checks for Bakura to cash. Bakura was determined to keep Ryou out of harm's way.

That motivation is what led him to leave the house after telling Ryou to order pizza, keep all the doors locked, and expect Bakura home in a couple of hours. Bakura was going to find Malik and, one way or another, make sure he would never hurt Ryou.

He had a good idea of where he might live. Only a few neighborhoods were in his school's district, and only one was nice enough to expect to find the Ishtars. Bakura remembered Ishizu and Rishid, the siblings that had never liked him, and how they'd always worked hard to keep Malik's life comfortable, even as that man, the one Bakura could easily see why Malik deplored him, made all his children miserable in turns. Malik had always gotten the most turns.

When he entered the neighborhood about a mile away from his, he stopped the first passerby and asked if any Egyptians had moved in recently. The man nodded, instantly recalling the newcomers who lived just down that way and to the left. Bakura followed his directions, glad that the Ishtars stuck out.

When he was almost to the right address, he noticed someone walking quickly in the same direction and entering the beginning of a park. Even from the distance, he recognized the dark skin and blonde hair Malik had, and he hurried after the figure.

The park wasn't big, but it was full of trees and benches. Malik was weaving through these and Bakura broke into a sprint to catch up to him. He gripped his shoulder and Malik spun around.

Bakura's brain sent warning signals to the rest of his body as he saw the state his former friend was in. His hair was a mess, nothing like the immaculate style he normally wore it in. His eyes were bloodshot and seemed darker somehow. Most strikingly, he wore a crazed grin that didn't match the dead look in his eyes.

Shit. This was exactly how he'd looked before... exactly why Bakura had wanted to keep Ryou away from him.

"Malik," he greeted coldly.

Malik's grin widened. "Ah... It's Bakura. Isn't it a nice evening for a walk in the park?" He cackled.

"You're insane."

"Words hurt, you know," Malik purred. "Knives hurt more."

Right as Malik reached for his pocket, Bakura tackled him. He didn't want to face a knife-wielding Malik, so he wrestled him to the ground and tried to pin his arms. It wasn't very effective; for all Bakura's determination, Malik was simply bigger and stronger. He easily flipped them over and pinned Bakura's arms to the ground. Bakura struggled, looking around for a weapon or to see if there was at least someone to call the cops, but neither seemed to be the case. He looked back up at Malik angrily.

"Get the hell off me."

"You started it," Malik mocked. He moved Bakura's wrists to where he could hold them both in one hand and sat back on Bakura's chest to keep him in place. With his free hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, crooked knife. He traced the tip over Bakura's cheek, still grinning like someone had told him a hilarious joke.

Bakura squirmed more, trying to throw Malik off. Malik dug the tip of his knife into Bakura's cheek and laughed as a bit of blood began to drip from the spot. Bakura tried not to breathe or move in order to keep the knife from digging in more.

"You would look so much nicer soaked in blood, Bakura. You're already as pale as a corpse..."

"Murderer," Bakura spat at him, wincing as the knife pierced more of his skin.

"Yes, I am that. I don't regret it. I don't mind adding to the count..." Malik then placed the blade horizontally against Bakura's neck. But before Bakura could begin to protest and fight back, the knife was gone, and Malik was giving him a look Bakura could not name.

He sighed, "I've played far too long. We'll meet again, Bakura." In a flash, he jumped up and ran off. Bakura sat up, pressing his hand to the cut on his face. What he'd give to chase Malik down and make him pay...

Instead, he stalked back home, slamming both the front door and his bedroom door. Ryou was soon knocking on it, asking what was wrong, but Bakura refused to open the door or say anything, and eventually he gave up.

* * *

_Bakura was getting tired of waiting for Malik. They were supposed to meet at the halfway point between their houses and go play together, but he was half an hour late. Bakura decided to find out what was keeping him; he hoped it wasn't his siblings saying they couldn't play together. They hadn't been pleased with the havoc Bakura had made at Malik's eleventh birthday party, after all._

_He walked all the way to the Ishtar residence and stood at the door, unsure of what to do. If he knocked and someone besides Malik answered, he might get scolded for showing up uninvited. He didn't actually care what Malik's family thought of him, but he didn't want to mess up his chance of getting to hang out with Malik for awhile. Malik was the most interesting person he'd ever met. He could talk circles around most adults even though he was just eleven, and that made messing with people very, very fun._

_Bakura made up his mind to go ahead and knock when he heard groans coming from inside. They sounded... horrible. Like a torture scene from that rated-R movie he'd snuck into last month. Bakura suddenly remembered the scars on Malik's body and how he'd witnessed Malik's father smack him the day they'd come home later than promised. Bakura narrowed his eyes and turned the doorknob, finding it unlocked. He crept inside, following the groaning noises down the hallway. When he reached the threshold of a large sitting room, he froze._

_In the middle of the room was Malik, a body, and an ocean of blood. Malik was laughing loudly, swinging a knife down over and over into the body that soon ceased to moan. He kept stabbing it as it lay still, certainly dead with so much blood gone. Nausea overcame Bakura and forced him back into animation. He looked once more at Malik's insane expression and dashed back outside, away from his best friend._


End file.
